Slideable seat construction



Oct. 27, 1970 P. F. MASUCCI SLIDEABLE SEAT CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 11, 1958 fl w m 6 w m m (k G fl l fl 1 5 o FIG.8

INVENTOR. P6752 H M43066! Oct. 27, 1970 P. F. MASUCCI 3,536,353

. SLIDEABLE SEAT CONSTRUCTION Filed D80, 11 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I I I //I INVENTOR. PETER f7 MASUCC/ fidi mg A TOR/V5)? United States Patent 3,536,358 SLHDEABLE SEAT CONSTRUCTION Peter F. Masucci, 8615 Fort Hamilton Parkway, Brooklyn, N.Y. 11209 Filed Dec. 11, 1968, Ser. No. 782,891 Int. (:1. A47c 1/02 US. Cl. 297-342 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A slideable seat construction includes a bottom portion which is connected to a back portion by a hinge member. The back portion is pivotally supported between two upright supports or standards to permit it to be swung from an oblique position to an upright position. The seat bottom carries a bar guide which extends from the front toward the back and along which a member may move during the pivotal movement of the back portion and the bottom portion. The seat bottom portion advantageously carries two laterally spaced guides and movable members for supporting each side thereof and the connection of the movable member to the fixed upright supports is advantageously through a pivotal slot connection which permits both radial and lateral adjustment of the connection. The hinge connection of the bottom to the back portion of the seat includes a torsion spring which urges the bottom and the back to a position in which the back will be urged to an upright position and the bottom to a substantially horizontal retracted position.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates in general to a construction of chairs and in particular to a new and useful chair, particularly for theatres and stadiums, airplanes, trains, which includes means for pivotally supporting separate back and seat portions in a manner such that they may be easily swung rearwardly and upright or inclined and wherein the mechanism is arranged to orient the seat in a retracted upright position.

The present invention is an improvement over the prior art, particularly in respect to the simple mounting of both back and seat portions of a chair between two spaced upright members in a manner such that the back and seat portion may be easily pivotally swung between upright and reclining positions. The construction includes means for pivotally supporting the back portion of the seat between the uprights so that the back portion may be swung about the pivotal mounting to shift it from an oblique reclining position to an upright position when desired. A particular feature is the mounting of the seat bottom on support members which may move along guides which extend in the fore and aft direction on the seat bottom. The support members are respectively connected to the uprights on each side of the seat by means which permits the pivotal adjustment of the connection and the lateral shifting thereof in order to facilitate alignment of the uprights around a circle such as would occur in a theater or stadium. In addition, the seat bottom portion is connected to the top portion by a bias-connection which urges the two seats to a retracted and an upright position. In this manner, it the seat is employed in a theater, the seat bottom will always be moved out of the aisle automatically.

Accordingly it is an object of the invention to provide an improved seat construction which includes improved means for separately pivotally mounting the bottom and back portions.

A further object of the invention is to provide a pivotal seat connection which includes spaced uprights for pivotally supporting the separate back and bottom seat portions and wherein the bottom seat portion is carried by a support member which may be moved relative to guides which extend in the fore and aft direction of the seat bottom and also wherein the support member is connected to the uprights through pivotal and slot connections to permit lateral and radial adjustments.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved seat construction in which separate seat bottom and back portions are separately pivotally mounted between spaced uprights and interconnected such that they are urged together to position the seat in an upright and retracted position automatically.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved seat which is simple in design, rugged in construction and economical to manufacture.

The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its use, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there is illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a partial side elevational and sectional view taken along the line 1-1 of FIG. 3 of a chair construction constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1, but with the chair in a retracted and upright position;

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of the chair;

FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of the chair;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged partial sectional view of the mounting of the movable member on the seat bottom;

FIG. 6 is a section taken along the line 66 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 6a is a section taken along the line 6a6a of FIG. 6;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged elevational view of the hinge connection between the seat bottom and seat back; and

FIG. 8 is a partial sectional view taken along the line 8-8 of FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings in particular, the invention embodied therein comprises a chair which includes two spaced uprights or leg supports 10 and 12 which provide a support for a separate back portion 14 and a seat portion or bottom 16. The back portion 14 carries a weld nut 18 and 20 at respective opposite sides intermediate its height which extends into and is rotatably supported on respective supports 10 and 12 (see FIGS. 3 and 8). The weld nut 18 is secured to the seat back 14 and it is held to the associated support 10 and 12 by a threaded screw or bolt 21 using a washer 22. The back portion 14 may thus pivot on the weld nut axles 18 and 20 about the upright 10 and 12 from the inclined position indicated in FIG. 1 to the upright position indicated in FIG. 2.

A feature of the invention is the support and the connection of the seat portion 16 to the back portion 14. Bolts 30 for securing angle members 32 in a position adjacent each side edge of this bottom portion 16. Corresponding angle members 32 on each side are arranged in opposition as indicated in FIG. 2, and they provide support for a guide member 34 which extends in the front and rear direction of the bottom 16. The guide members 34 provide means for supporting the seat portion 16 on a support member or cylinder 36 which is slidable relative to the guide member 34 so that it can be shifted relative to the seat portion 16 during the adjust- 3 ment thereof in order to permit easy tilting and forward and backward movement thereof.

The support member 36 is connected through an angle support portion 38 (see FIG. 6) which, in turn, is engaged in an opening of and is pivoted about a bushing 54 (see FIG. 6) affixed to a channel member 40. The extreme end of the support member 38 is held in position in association with the channel member by a cotter pin 42. The channel member, in turn, is pivoted on a bolt 44 which is engaged through corresponding slots on a supporting channel 46 which is secured to a respective upright 10 and 12. As indicated in FIG. 6a, the channel member 46 is provided with an elongated slot 48 on each extending part in order to permit adjustable connection of the bolt 44 and to permit adjustment of the supports 10 and 12 so as to arrange them around either straight line or curve in accordance with the requirement of the particular arrangement for the seating.

A further feature of the construction is the connection of the seat or bottom portion 16 to the back portion 14. This is eifected by a hinge member 50 which is secured to the inner end of the seat portion 16 and to the lower end of the back portion 14. The hinge 50 includes leaves 50a and 50b which are biased together by a torsion spring 52 in a direction to urge the seat portion and the back portion to the upright retracted position indicated in FIG. 2. Thus, the seat construction permits a person to relax in a reclined position indicated in FIG. 1 by merely leaning back against the back portion 14. When the person gets up out of the seat, the seat will automatically return to the retracted and upright position as indicated in FIG. 2. This means that the bottom portion 16 will not project out into an aisle between rows of such seats when the seat is not occupied so that a person may move between rows of the seats unhindered.

While a specific embodiment of the invention has been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the inventive principles, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.

What is claimed is:

1. A seat construction comprising first and second spaced apart upright supports, a seat back portion disposed between said first and second supports and pivotally supported intermediate its height on said first and second supports, a seat portion connected to said back portion adjacent its lower end, at least one seat portion support member having one end connected to at least one of said upright supports and having an opposite end supporting said seat portion, guide means on said seat portion guiding said support member for relative movement back and forth in respect to said seat portion to permit the pivoting and shifting of said seat portion along with said back portion, and means mounted on at least one of said first and second upright supports for pivotally connecting said one end of said movable seat portion support member to said support.

2. A seat construction according to claim 1, wherein said guide means comprises an elongated rod member extending in the fore and aft direction of said seat.

3-. A seat construction according to claim 1, wherein said guide means comprises a guide member adjacent each side of said seat and wherein there is a support member connected to a respective one of said upright supports and associated with each guide member and relatively movable in respect thereto.

4. A seat construction according to claim 1, wherein said mounting means comprises a channel member having spaced opposed sides and being secured to said upright support, a bolt supported on said channel member and extending through said opposite sides thereof, and a second channel member carried by said support member and engaged around said bolt and pivotally supported between said opposite sides of said first channel member.

5. A seat construction according to claim 5, wherein said first channel member is provided with slots elongated in a transverse direction to permit shifting movement of said second channel member and said bolt in respect thereto for varying the alignment of said seats.

6. A seat construction according to claim 1, including a hinge connecting said seat portion adjacent its rear end to said back portion adjacent its lower end, and spring means biasing said hinge to a position in which said seat portion is retracted and said back portion is substantially upright.

7. A seat construction comprising first and second spaced apart upright supports, a seat back portion disposed between said first and second upright supports and pivotally supported intermediate its height on said upright supports to permit tilting movement from an inclined oblique position to a substantially upright position, a guide rod member secured to the bottom of each side of said seat portion and extending along a portion of the length thereof, a cylindrical support member engaged around each of said guide rod members and being movable in forward and rear directions therealong, each of said guide rod members having an angle portion terminating in an end directed toward an associated upright support, and means on each of said upright supports for supporting each respective said angle portion ends, and means hingedly connecting said seat back portion to said seat bottom portion and biasing said seat back portion and seat bottom portion in a manner to urge said seat back portion to an upright position and said seat bottom portion to a retracted position.

8. A seat construction according to claim 7, wherein said means mounting said support members to said upright supports comprises means permitting pivotal and lateral adjustment in respect to said upright supports.

9. A seat according to claim 8 wherein said means on said upright supports for supporting each angle portion ends comprises a bushing in which said ends are rotatable and slidable.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 226,475 4/1880 Bell 2973 17 2,500,124 3/1950 Hoven 297342 2,545,679 3/1951 Germain 297342 REINALDO P. MACHADO, Primary Examiner 

